Chandigarh: Tightening the noose around Parkash Singh Badal, the special investigation team of handpicked vigilance sleuths on Tuesday raided his Balasar farmhouse in Sirsa, Haryana.

The team has been set up by chief minister Amarinder Singh to probe the assets of his predecessor and Shiromani Akali Dal chief. Since taking over as chief minister in February last year, Amarinder has been claiming that Badal’s family has robbed the state and would be punished.

The raid at Balasar comes close on the heels of the arrest of five Wimpy International employees by the vigilance bureau in Delhi on charges of converting Badal’s black money into white.

Last week, he had said investigations were nearing an end and Badal was running from pillar to post to stop the government from jailing him. Amarinder, who has charged Badal with amassing wealth to the tune of Rs 3,500 crore, has not been able to gather any evidence against the Akali leader so far.

The Balasar farmhouse shot to fame earlier this year when members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee loyal to Badal camped there after Amarinder allegedly threatened to arrest them and get cases registered against them if they dared to set foot on Amritsar and vote for Badal’s candidate in the polls to the committee’s executive.

Students held for con job

Mumbai (PTI): Four college students were arrested for stealing laptops from a five-star hotel to throw parties during their summer vacation.

The students, who are from affluent families, have been remanded in police custody till June 27.

The four used to hire a conference room in Sun--Sand Hotel under the pretext of holding a business conference. They would fill up fictitious names and pay an initial deposit charged by the hotel, police said.

Later they would hire the laptops and flee.

Acting on a complaint filed by the hotel, the police traced the boys to their homes in Lokhandvala Complex and arrested them on Monday.

The accused sold the laptops and earned over Rs 9 lakh, the police added.

Food official in bribery net

New Delhi (PTI): The CBI has arrested a food and supplies official for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000 from a kerosene shopowner, a bureau spokesman said.

The shopkeeper, who had been promised by the official that his shop would be allowed to “function smoothly”, complained to the CBI. During follow-up searches at his residence, the CBI seized cash worth Rs 2.95 lakh, shares and bonds worth Rs 6 lakh and a bank balance of Rs 1.5 lakh.

Hydel plant blast

Hyderabad (PTI): Naxalites of the People’s War Group have set off a blast at a mini hydel power plant owned by the family members of Andhra Pradesh minor irrigation minister K.E. Prabhakar in Kurnool district. A group of three armed extremists barged into the plant and manhandled the security staff before blasting the generator room and the control room.

Looting at gunpoint

Bangalore (PTI): Four motorcycle-borne revolver-wielding men abducted two employees of a bank and robbed them of Rs 17 lakh after whisking them away in their car. The men came on two motorcycles and intercepted the car in which the two employees of State Bank of Mysore were carrying the cash from Medanayakanalli branch to Nelamangala.

Son kills 60-yr-old

Bhopal (PTI): An old man was beaten to death by three persons, including his son and grandson, allegedly because he scolded them for breaking a syringe bought to inject a buffalo, at Dhabla Rai village in Sehore district. Umrao Khati, 60, was beaten with lathis, police said. He succumbed to injuries in hospital.

Boy suicide appeal

Chennai (PTI): The parents of a 10th standard student, who committed suicide after he was allegedly harassed by employees of his school, has moved the State Human Rights Commission, seeking its recommendation to the government to take action against the school. The boy’s parents told the commission that their son had, on previous occasions, too, complained of being thrashed for making minor mistakes.

The Life Insurance Corporation of India said on Tuesday it has settled around 20,000 death claims in Jammu and Kashmir amounting to Rs 139 crore since the eruption of militancy in the state.